May the Spirits Be With You
by MagicMilkbone
Summary: Moro once told Ashitaka that San was abandoned as a sacrifice to appease her anger. She took her in and raised her as if she was her own. What Moro doesn't say, however, was how San grew up to become the Monoke Hime. After all, warriors are made, not born.
1. Chapter 1

**I dunno how many people actually read any Mononoke fanfics but I love wolves so I wrote it anyway. Please let me know if anything needs to be changed or edited; I accept constructive criticism.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Mononoke Hime. I did, however, name the wolf brothers.**

Moro sat watching her two cubs, born three days earlier, sleep. She could already tell that they would be strong. Still, a feeling of dread rippled through her. Moro thought back to her last pup. The pup had been tough and intelligent, her precious little girl. They had a comfortable life in the forest, that is, until Moro's mate was killed by humans. He had died trying to protect his family, quite a worthy death, deserving respect from all gods and spirits.

_And yet, _Moro growled internally,_ she went off and- _no, she must not think of that now. _I must forget the past and move on. No point in lamenting about what has long happened. _Some memories were better left forgotten, lest the pain would get to her.

The massive wolf stretched out her limbs and slowly lifted herself up, her two tails twitching. It was about time to make her daily rounds. Moro looked up at the towering trees, basking in the warm sunlight filtering through the leaves. She set out at a brisk trot to patrol the forest.

山犬 犬神 山犬 犬神 山犬 犬神 山犬

As per usual, the forest was serene, not a thing out of place. Not many humans ever dared to venture past there village into the spirit woods after all. They feared they would invoke the wrath of one of the gods that called that place their home.

The wind shifted, rustling the trees. Moro lifted her head and sniffed. What was that smell? As the wind changed directions again, her blood-shot eyes widened. Her hackles bristled and she growled involuntarily. Though it had been a while since she last ran across it, the stench was unmistakable.

"Humans!" Moro snarled. She leapt forward, following the scent. At last, she found the clearing where a couple stood setting up a camp. To her fury, the male was breaking off branches without permission from the tree, intending to create a fire.

With a blood-curdling roar, Moro burst out of the brush and charged toward the two humans. The female gave a high-pitched shriek and stumbled backwards. Her mate grabbed her hand and dragged her towards him, but not without throwing a bundle at Moro's feet.

"Take the child and leave us be!" he pleaded. "We've done nothing wrong!"

"Impudent humans," Moro growled. "Your death was decided the moment you stepped foot in the forest." They scrambled back, tripping over themselves to get away from the furious goddess. Terror was written all over their faces, too petrified for tears. Moro stalked them, immense paws padding silently despite her gargantuan size.

"The child, take it, take the chi-" their desperate pleas were silenced in a single snap.

Moro curled her lip in disgust. _Humans taste just as bad as they smell. _She padded toward the baby wrapped in blankets. _To think that its parents would abandon it so easily. _No matter, it would join its parents soon. She licked her lips in savage anticipation.

A sharp wail pierced the air. Moro flinched back in shock, ears pressed back. The sound reminded her of her own pups. She shook herself and crouched back down, inching toward the pile of cloth. This was a human; it couldn't be compared to one of her own!

"Mama!" it wailed again. The child caught sight of the gigantic wolf. "Mama!" it squealed, this time happily. Moro's heart melted. It was a little girl, just a child; she had done nothing wrong but to be born to the wrong species. She dragged the girl closer and nuzzled her. Moro thought back to her sons waiting back at the den. _Tarou, Jirou, and now, San. Eldest son, second son, and three. _She had made her decision.

As Moro gently carried the baby to her den, she wondered how the other spirits would react. The boar god, Nago no Mori, would certainly be enraged, as well as his successor, Okotto Nushi. _Perhaps I should appeal to the Shishigami first, _she mused. A soft, faint clicking sound tore through her thoughts, ears flicking up.

The sound had come from a kodama, its head spinning erratically. Moro looked at it, amused, as more and more of them appeared, teeming around the wolf goddess. They gestured wildly, curious as to what was in her maw.

Moro set the baby down, glancing wearily at the tiny spirits that crawled towards it. San gazed at them in awe, a hand outstretched as if to catch one. The kodama gently patted her head in approval. Moro felt relief wash over her. If they approved of San, then no one could judge her; the kodama only reside in forests that were healthy.

They suddenly froze and looked past her shoulder. One of them pointed, prompting Moro to glance back. Her heart nearly stopped. The Shishigami stood, a few ways behind. It gave the slightest of nods and the feeling returned to Moro's paws. She made her way to her den with renewed vigor, striding into her cave to meet her cubs.

Moro was met with a squeaking howl. She chuckled as she set the human child down next to her pups, watching fondly over them. "Tarou, Jirou, meet your new sister, San. She may be a human, but I expect you all to treat her equally."

The other gods may scorn her, but the joy she felt as San nestled beside her adoptive brothers was worth it. If one of them ever even harmed a hair on San's head, she would shred them apart. _Let them try, _Moro sneered to herself. _As if they could ever defy me. _She curled up next to her precious cubs, and slowly drifted off to sleep.

山犬 犬神 山犬 犬神 山犬 犬神 山犬

A young woman perched up at the top of the trees, watching the wolf clan. Her head of long brown hair was encircled by a black headband; on her arms were matching bands. Her face bore three crimson, fang-shaped marks. A white cloak made of a wolf's pelt hung off her shoulders, held by a string of fangs, with two red, ear-like attachments.

The woman smiled softly, a slight look of longing tinting her face as she looked over at the sleeping family. A kodama materialized on her shoulder, head spinning, and glanced up. It reached out and tugged at her hair, encouraging her to follow. More of them stood farther out in the woods, waiting.

The woman understood and leapt from tree to tree, following their path. She took one last glimpse of the wolves and slipped back into the forest, pulling a blood red mask over her face, earrings glinting in the fading light.

**Yay~! First chapter is finally done! After a lot of pestering from someone else of course. Speaking of which, you better update! Please? (You know who you are.) I apologize for any mistakes or inconsistent tenses. **

**Beta'ed by I am in Loki's Army.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Am I the only one that noticed that there were 1234 words in the last chapter? It made me really happy for some reason. I'm just weird like that. Anyways, after a lot of procrastinating and even more death threats, I finished up this chapter. Hopefully this isn't too boring.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Mononoke Hime.**

A loud squeal interrupted the peaceful slumber of the gargantuan wolf. She slowly opened her eyes and was met by the gaze of a young, naked girl. Moro lazily rolled over, dragging San on top of her. She giggled in delight, elated to have her adoptive mother all to herself. San's brothers, who had already grown to nearly their full adult size, were out patrolling their territory, the first time they were let out alone.

Moro surveyed her daughter's bare skin. She had long outgrown the clothes that she had come with, and had been living without them. Small cuts and scratches marked her body as San had no fur to protect her like the rest of her family. This wasn't the first time that Moro had pondered this problem.

_It was nice day, not too long after San was accepted into the clan. All three of Moro's cubs were growing rapidly, and San had just recently grown out of her clothes. As all three ran and frolicked around in the grass, San tripped and fell, face first onto the ground._

_San let out a wail, drawing the attention of her mother. A gash ran down her side, shallow, although quite long. Tarou and Jirou, her two wolf brothers, stood by with panic in their eyes while Moro quickly made her way to the sobbing child, anxiously sniffing the wound. She determined that there was nothing too serious, and gently licked the wound clean._

_Moro curled up next to San, waiting for her to fall asleep; she knew that the forest, alive with spirits, would have enough energy to speed up the healing process. The brothers sat beside them, losing the will to play and instead, watched over their sibling._

"Mama! Let's play!" a high pitched voice said pulling Moro back to the present. San tugged on the wolf's ear, eyes sparkling with mischief. She struggled to get down off of her mother's stomach and hopped away. She glanced back inquiringly, asking her mother to come and follow.

Moro sighed and heavily heaved herself up onto her paws. "Carefully." She warned her daughter, who had lost her balance and had nearly fallen. Moro playfully nuzzled her hair, giving a look of affection not often seen on her hard face. San enthusiastically nuzzled back, rubbing her nose against her mother's.

The wolf goddess turned to look deeper into the woods, wondering how her two sons were doing. Fine, most likely, since it was placid, although the threat of humans had recently risen higher.

_And they both know what to do if they see one, _Moro thought grimly. _Tear its head off first, ask questions afterwards. _She turned her gaze towards San, now trotting to catch a bug, and cocked her head. In time, when she was old enough, Moro would teach her kill, the only way to act against the selfish acts of humans. It would be a shame though, to have to shatter her innocent outlook on life.

For now, Moro would be content just watching her little daughter grow. Her family felt complete, more so then she had ever felt. Although she was born human, San would be raised as wolf, and would always and only be one. _But she does still need clothes. _Moro mused.

山犬 犬神 山犬 犬神 山犬 犬神 山犬

The wolf brothers went around the forest at a steady lope, proud that they were finally allowed to patrol by themselves. The crisp morning air was refreshing, filling them with boundless energy which crackled to the tip of their toes. They leapt nimbly over fallen branches, tingling paws agilely dodging dips and cracks. The two brothers raced each other, weaving through the trees, oblivious to a pair of deep brown eyes observing them.

"It seems that they still have lots to learn." The eyes watched on, amused. They shifted their gaze to the small spirits sitting on a near-by tree. "They may need a bit of guidance." The kodama leapt up eagerly, first fading, and then reappearing further ahead. Another rustle and the owner of the eyes disappeared.

Sounds of clicking disrupted the brothers' run. Tarou glanced up to find several kodama waiting for him. He nudged his younger brother to grab his attention, curious as to what the tree spirits wanted with them. They ducked their heads in respect.

When they raised their heads once again, they saw that the kodama were slowly making their way to another part of the woods. They jumped up and down, urging the wolves to follow.

The wolf brothers exchanged a glance, silently debating on what to do. Oh well, if it was what the kodama wanted them to do, they might as well follow them.

Once the kodama reached a certain tree, they were suddenly gone. Weary, the two padded silently toward a small package nestled between the roots of the tree. Giving it a quick sniff, Jirou recoiled at the pungent odor that rose from it.

It was a scent that they had only smelled a few times before, when their mother had taken them to the edge of the woods. If the brothers brought the strange bundle home, Moro would surely trounce them. But the kodama had lead them to it, however, and they were pure creatures, created straight from the Shishigami itself.

San's brothers decided to take a gamble. They would bring it home and hand it to their mother; she would decide to deal with it as fit. The elder scooped it up into his jaw and took off, beckoning his brother to follow.

Moro lifted her head in surprise as her sons abruptly slid out from under the trees. They tossed a package at her feet and paced back and forth, irritably.

"What the hell is this?" snarled Moro. "It reeks of human." Her son clawed at the ground, tearing chunks of sod out from underneath him.

"The kodama brought it to us." he said, glancing around nervously. "Don't know what it is."

Moro, ready to tear the bundle apart, paused. She ground her teeth and grudgingly pulled at it. Out fell clothes, made of soft cloths, just the slightest bit too big for a child such as San to grow into.

Astonished, Moro stared at the brothers, who looked just as bewildered as she felt. "Well," Moro started. "It seems that we should consider ourselves blessed." Still, a foreign feeling wormed its way through her stomach. Although the clothes were exactly what they needed, it meant that someone was watching them, surveying their every move.

Moro looked back into the forest, searching. If a human was able spy on her family, then they were a threat to the whole forest. And she would definitely find them.

**So, thanks for the follows and favorite. I would appreciate some reviews, especially constructive ones. *hint hint* And also, let me know if the chapters start to drag on. Anyways, I update my stories erratically so there will be large gaps between chapters. Even though they're so short. **


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